Reaming and cleaning tool



March 2%, w. v. DORSANEO 2,33%273 REAMING AND CLEANING TOOL 7 Filed Nov. 27, 1957 I l llv INVENTOR WILLIAMVDORSNEU BY a L TRNEY Patented Mar. 29, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 4 Claims.

This invention relates to a reaming and cleaning tool, and has particular reference to a tool for abrading the connecting surfaces of pipe fittings.

r, In the present day, copper and brass tubing are used largely as water pipes in building construction, and the joints between the tubing sections have their fittings soldered instead of screw threaded, as was formerly the custom with gal- 10 vanized and other pipe. Copper, taken as an illustration, oxidizes rapidly. In fact, a fresh piece of copper tubing will practically oxidize by the time it is delivered to the place of use. In order, therefore, to make a water-tight joint, it

15 is necessary to clean the oxide not only from the outside surface of the tubing, but from the bore inside of the fitting.

It will, of course, be readily understood that the solder will not cling to surfaces which have no oxide thereon.

At the present time, it is customary for artisans and others with the larger sizes of fittings, to wrap a piece of emery cloth or steel wool around a finger, and then insert same into the fitting, turning the same, or the fitting, until the oxide is removed. In the same manner, grease or other foreign matter is removed. Experience shows that seldom is the bore cleaned during the initial operation. Inspection will always reveal 30 places or areas from which the oxide has not been removed, and since solder would not adhere to these areas it is necessary to repeat the operation with an endeavor to have the entire bore of the fitting properly cleaned. In the case of small fittings, lead pencils and the like are used in place of the finger, and the cleaning of these fittings is an arduous and time consuming job. Of course, it is quite easy to clean the oxide from the end of the tubing because the emery cloth or the like is merely wrapped around the surface to be cleaned, and then the pipe rotated back and forth, while holding the abrading member between the thumb and index finger.

The object of the present invention is to pro- 45 vide a tool for quickly and effectively cleaning the oxide from .the bore of fittings.

A further object of the invention is to provide a tool which can be used many times without renewing the abrading material.

50 Still a further object of the invention is to provide a tool by which the bores of fittings may have the oxide removed therefrom by unskilled labor.

According to the invention, the reaming tool 55 comprises a spring annulus split longitudinally,

spring clips within said annulus and adapted to hold the ends of a flexible abra-ding member, which surrounds said annulus, and has said ends turned inside through said split, and means for spreading said annulus to increase the diameter 5 thereof, whereby the abrading material is brought into contact with the wall of said bore.

The drawing illustrates an embodiment of the invention, and the views therein are as follows:

Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of an elbow showing my improved reaming .tool as applied thereto,

Figure 2 is a like view showing the manner in which the elbow is connected to the tubing sec tions,

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view on the line 3-4 of Figure 1,

Figure 4 is a front elevation, and

Figure 5 is a vertical sectional View substantially on the line 5--5 of Figure 4.

In the drawing, t represents a fitting, and particularly an elbow. The elbow and other fittings for copper and brass tubing have a bore 1 terminating in a shoulder 8 against which the tubing abuts (see Figure 2).

When the tubing is in place, it is held therein by the solder 9 which firmly anchors said tubing in position. However, when an elbow, such as that shown in Figure 1, is delivered to the plumber, or pipe fitter, for installation, the bore l is oxidized, so that it would be impossible to find a solder which would connect the pipes and hold them in the desired position. It is, therefore, incumbent upon the one who is installing the tubing to not only clean oiT the inner end of the tubing H, but also the bore 1 of the fitting, so that .the solder may grip the parts and anchor them in position. Figure 1 shows the reaming tool in one end of the elbow, and illustrates the manner in which the same is intended to be used.

Referring now to Figures 3, 4 and 5, the reaming tool comprises an annulus l2 having a longitudinal split l3 therein. Spring clips M are located with their outer edges adjacent the edges of said split, and at a point near one end of said annulus are fastened the ends it of arms I1, and rivets l8 fasten said arms and spring clips tightly against the inner wall of said annulus. These arms H are curved, as at l9, and pass through slots 2! on that side of the annulus opposite to the split.

The outer ends of the spring clips are turned down, as at 22, to provide means for holding the edges 23 of a sheet of flexible abrading material 24, which surrounds the free end 26 of said annulus.

In the use of the reaming tool, the strip of abrading material such, for instance, as emery cloth and the like, is wrapped around the end 26 of the annulus. The ends are turned in through the split l3, and the spring clips I4 are pressed away from the annulus by pressure on the turneddown parts 22, in order to provide space for inserting the end of the abrasive sheet, With the tool thus ready for use, it is inserted in the end of a fitting, as shown in Figure 1, the diameter of the annulus covered by the abrading material being slightly less than the diameter of the bore in said fitting. The arms I! are then pressed together, so that the abrading material contacts the wall of said bore, and then either the fitting or the tool is gently rotated to and fro in order to cut out all the oxide, and provide a clean metallic surface for the solder.

It has been found that the cleaning of cooper and brass fittings consumes from fifteen to twenty-five per cent of the entire time taken for installation of a piping system, and with this tool, these fittings can be quickly and conveniently cleaned in a fraction of the time now taken by the conventional methods.

It is not intended that a tool shall be used for bores of different diameters, because it is essential that with the spreading of the annulus, it shall retain its shape as nearly as possible to a true circle, so that for the difierent sizes of tubing fittings, different reaming tools should be used.

Of course, the reaming tool here illustrated and described is susceptible of many modifications and changes in structure and design without departing from the invention herein set forth and hereafter claimed.

The invention is hereby claimed as follows:-

1. A tool for reaming and cleaning the inside of cylindrical bodies comprising a one-piece spring annulus of uniform diameter split longitudinally, means for holding the ends of a strip of flexible abrasive material which surrounds said annulus, and handles fastened to said annulus for increasing the diameter of said annulus to bring the abrasive material into peripheral contact with the wall of a hole in an object.

2. A tool for reaming and cleaning the inside of cylindrical bodies comprising a one-piece spring annulus of uniform diameter split longitudinally, spring clips for holding the ends of a strip of flexible abrasive material which surrounds said annulus, and handles fastened to said annulus for increasing the diameter of said annulus to bring the abrasive material into peripheral contact with the wall of a hole in an object.

3. A tool for reaming and cleaning the inside of cylindrical bodies comprising a spring annulus split longitudinally, means for holding the ends of a strip of flexible abrasive material which surrounds said annulus, and an arm secured on each side of said split and extending outwardly through holes in said annulus for increasing the diameter of said annulus to bring the abrasive material into peripheral contact with the wall of a hole in an object.

4. A tool for reaming and cleaning the inside of cylindrical bodies comprising a spring annulus split longitudinally, spring clips on the inside of said annulus for holding the ends of a strip of flexible abrasive material which surrounds said annulus, and an arm secured on each side of said split and extending outwardly through holes in said annulus.

WILLIAM V. DORSANEO. 

